Romeo and Juliet of the 60's
by Tumbler
Summary: Chris and Gabby are from two different families who absolutely hate each other..... they meet and, in time, fall in love...... what will happen? It doesn't make things better that Gabby is related to someone dangerously linked to Chris.... find out who. P
1. A Dangerous Meeting

Chapter One - A Dangerous Meeting   
  
Gabby Myers stood in front of her mirror, not exactly admiring herself... it was more like wishing about herself. She hated who she was in the world. She hated who she was related to... well, she didn't exactly hate who she was related to, it just wasn't fun at most times. Gabby was Ace Myers' little sister. One would think it'd be great to be his little sister, nobody would mess with you if you were related to Ace... and that's exactly why she hated being his sister. Nobody would go near her, no guys; they were too afraid of Ace and Ace knew it and he planned on keeping it that way. He wasn't going to let his little sister get hurt by some punks and then he'd have to go and kill them.   
Gabby decided one day that she was sick of sitting around and watching Ace and his stupid friends fiddle around with a non-working car. She asked her mother if she could walk down to the candy store in town and her mother quickly agreed. She knew it was about time Gabby got out of the house, she was 15! She headed for the front door and Ace stepped in her way.   
"Where you goin?" he asked, always poking into her business no matter what the topic.   
"I'm goin to the candy store, you want anything?" she asked politely.   
"The candy store!" Ace exclaimed, looking at his gawking friends. "What do you guys want?"   
"Hey!" Gabby yelled. "I'm not takin orders here, fellas. Ace, what do you want?"   
"Nothin, but thanks for askin sweetie," he said, kissing the top of her head and walking back to where his friends were in the living room. They had decided to take a break from working on the car. Gabby smiled at her brother and walked out the door.   
"You know, you're sister's pretty cool for a 15 year old," Eyeball said.   
"Yeah, she's alright. She's a sister," Ace said.   
"I like her," Billy piped up.   
"Quit talkin about my sister Billy," Ace advised. Billy remained quiet. Everyone in the gang was afraid of Ace except for Eyeball because he knew Ace would never touch him, they were best friends.   
Gabby took the long way to the candy store. It was October and she loved watching the yellow, orange, and red leaves fall from the thinning trees. She loved the outdoors, but she never really got the chance to get out and see... no thanks to her brother.   
Ace loved his sister with all his heart, more than he ever loved anything else. He and his mother hated each other most of the time and he didn't have a girlfriend because he was too busy with friends and the non-working car. Gabby loved her brother with the same heart. She just couldn't stand his over-protected attitude.   
She arrived at the candy store about fifteen minutes after she'd left home. She opened the door and heard the chiming bell. She looked around for Frank, the store owner, but he was nowhere in sight. Suddenly, a new face popped up from the behind the counter.   
Gabby was totally blown away by this kid's looks. He had very short hair, it looked like he'd shaven it a long time ago and just never got around to doing it again. His eyes were a beautiful blue and his skin was very tan. He was in just a plain white t-shirt and worn out blue jeans.   
"Who're you?" she asked, walking passed him to the back of the store.   
"Chris... who're you?" he asked. His voice was quite rough for someone his age.   
"Gabrielle," she answered, walking back to the counter with a handful of candy in one hand. "Where's Frank?"   
"At lunch." Chris smiled as he rang up the charge for the candy. Gabby looked at him and narrowed her eyes.   
"You look familiar," she said. Chris paused his job and looked at her with his piercing blue eyes that shot right through her.   
"What do you mean?" he asked.   
"I dunno... you just look like someone I know." He finished and she gave him the money.   
"Am I gonna see you here again?" he asked before she left. She turned from the door and smiled.   
"Count on it." And with that, she walked out. Chris smiled and laughed to himself. Just then, Frank came in from the back.   
"Ok kid, you're done," he said. Chris frantically discarded the white apron he was wearing and ran out the door. Frank laughed.   
"Kids," he said. Chris ran down the sidewalk and caught up with Gabby.   
"D'ya miss me?" he asked once he was walking next to her. Gabby looked at him and smiled.   
"Not really," she answered.   
"Nice," Chris said. They laughed the whole way to Gabby's street, talking about everything: their friends, the parents, their lives in general. They really got to know one another in the fifteen minutes it took them to get to her street.   
"Well, I guess I better get home," Chris said as they stood on the corner. "My dad'll murder me if I'm late." Gabby smiled.   
"Ok, thanks for walking me home," she said.   
"You? I thought you were walking me home." They laughed before they parted ways and headed home. Gabby walked in the door and headed straight for her brother who was still sitting on the couch. She put her arms around his neck from behind and answered by putting his hands over hers.   
"What're you so damn happy about?" he asked. She smiled, reached in her bag and pulled out Ace's favorite candy bar. She put it in front of his face.   
"Ah, you really are my sister," he breathed, taking it from her. She laughed as she headed back to her room. She ate her candy and fell back on her bed, looking at the ceiling. All she could think about Chris. His eyes mostly and his attitude toward her. No guy had ever been that nice to her because of Ace, but Chris must not have known who Ace was. Gabby planned on keeping it that way.


	2. Visitor In The Night

A few days after Gabby and Chris met, all they could think about was each other. Chris was trying to play cards with Teddy in their tree house, but he just couldn't concentrate. Gordie noticed Chris's flaws, but he was afraid to say anything in front of Teddy, fearing it was something Chris didn't want to mention around him.   
  
"What's your problem today Chambers?" Teddy asked with a cigarette between his lips. "You haven't won a game all day!"   
  
"Nothin man," Chris lied, retrieving the pack of cigarettes that was bundled tightly under his sleeve. He popped one out and into his mouth and lit it. There was a sudden knock at the door below their feet that was the entrance.   
  
"Not the secret knock!" Gordie yelled.   
  
"To hell with the secret knock!" a familiar voice yelled from below.   
  
"Vern, why so mad?" Teddy yelled, laughing his ass off, as usual.   
  
"Open the door!" Vern continued to yell. The guys sighed as Teddy and Chris moved out the way and let Vern in.   
  
"Chris," he breathed heavily. "Got a message for you. Just lemme catch my breath, I..." he paused. "I'm not gonna say it," he said, laughing and thinking his friends wouldn't start singing.   
  
"I ran all the way home!" they sang, trying not to laugh. Vern rolled his eyes and sat back against the wooded wall.   
  
"Fine Chris, I guess I won't tell you the message from that hot chick," Vern stubbornly said. Chris's breath caught in his throat as he thought about Gabby.   
"Tell me Vern," he said.   
"No," Vern refused with a slight squeak in his voice. Chris seized his cigarette tightly between his lips before putting Vern in a headlock.   
  
"Better tell me Vern," he advised, his speech almost incomprehensible because of the cigarette in his mouth.   
  
"Ok, ok," Vern surrendered. Chris let him go and claimed his seat in front of Vern. "She said she's gonna meet you here tonight."   
  
"How did she know you knew me?" Chris questioned.   
  
"No idea, she just walked up to me outside the candy store and asked if I knew you." Chris smiled, but it quickly faded. He didn't want his friends to think he was psyched about seeing a girl.   
  
"Hey Vern, what time?" he asked.   
  
"What time what?" Vern asked, publicly displaying his stupidity.   
  
"What time is she comin?" Chris repeated, annoyed with his moron friend.   
  
"Oh, she said around 12 or 12:30. And that's passed curfew, you shouldn't go," Vern warned.   
  
"Verno," Teddy stammered. "This is a hot chick we're talkin about here, of course he's gonna go!"   
  
"Yeah Vern, come on," Gordie chimed in.   
  
"Ok fine, just be careful," Vern said to Chris.   
  
"I knock," Chris announced, knocking on the wooden table and completely ignoring Vern's warning.   
  
"Shit," Teddy breathed, slamming his cards down.   
  
Meanwhile, Gabby was in the garage with her brother and his gang, watching them attempt to fix the non-running Buick. Ace was cleaning the engine and Eyeball was laying in the backseat with the hat he stole from Gordie covering his face. Billy and Charlie were sitting on some stools, watching Ace clean, and Vince was giving the other member of the group, Danny, a tattoo.   
  
"I have an idea," Gabby piped up, killing the irritating silence that engulfed the garage. "If you guys want the car fixed maybe you should actually attempt to work on it."   
  
"Yeah, the kid's right," Eyeball said, sitting up. "Let's work on the car."   
  
The day flew by when Gabby actually got her brother's gang to work on that car. She didn't do much because she didn't know anything about cars, but she helped Ace clean and she jumped on Eyeball's back and clung to him while she watched him work magic with the newly shined engine. As day turned into night, the group became tired and annoyed with the car. They headed inside, ate, and Ace sent his friends home, except for Eyeball who might as well have lived with Ace.   
  
"Well, I'm goin to bed," Gabby said.   
  
"G'night Gab," Ace said as she kissed him on the cheek.   
  
"Night Eyeball," Gabby chanted. Eyeball smiled.   
  
"Night kid," he said.   
  
"Quit callin me kid!" Gabby whined as she walked in her room and shut the door. She looked at the clock and it read 12:15.   
  
"Oh shit," she breathed. She quickly changed her clothes to cut-off shorts and a white tank top. She locked her bedroom door before crawling out her window and heading for the tree house with only her memory of Vern's directions.   
  
After about a half hour of walking, she came to a large field and, in the distance, saw light coming from the top of a large tree. It was too dark to see the tree house, but the light told her it was there. She hurriedly headed for the faint light and as she got closer, she could see the shadow of a figure in the mist of the light that flooded the tree house. She found the ladder, climbed up softly knocked on the entrance trap door. It opened and she climbed the rest of the way up. Once she was sitting in the chair Chris normally occupied, she looked up.   
  
Chris was awestruck by Gabby; her clothes, her blonde hair, and especially her body. She was very curvy for her age and that was one of the main reasons Ace was so protective.   
  
Chris started to close the door as he spoke, "thought you got lost or somethin." Gabby smiled.   
  
"No, Vern's directions just sucked," she replied.   
  
"Surprise, surprise," Chris joked. They became quiet at first, but soon continued the conversation they'd had the day before: their families.   
  
Chris was telling about a brother he had that hated him so much just because his brother's friend told him to. He told of his father who couldn't care less about him. As he went on about his dad, he pulled out a cigarette and quickly lit it, hoping it would help him fight the tears that threatened to exit his already watering eyes.   
  
"I just wish I had a whole other family, ya know?" Chris said, his voice beginning to shake as the tears were winning the battle. "Or live somewhere where nobody knows me." Chris couldn't stop the tears anymore as he remembered the last time he cried with someone: Gordie. He held the cigarette tightly between his fingers as he hugged his knees to his chest and began crying uncontrollably.   
  
Gabby was also ready to cry. She saw how much pain Chris was going through and she knew there really wasn't anything she could do. She got up from her chair and got on her knees behind Chris as he had his back to her. She put one hand on his shoulder and let the other slide down his arm to grip the cigarette between her fingers. She put it to her lips, inhaled, and put her hand on Chris's other shoulder, turning him toward her. His eyes were bright red and his cheeks were flushed. Gabby got close enough so that their faces were mere centimeters apart and put her thumbs on his chin, opening his mouth. She exhaled the smoke slowly into Chris's mouth and he inhaled it deeply. Their lips slowly came together with a light kiss.   
  
Chris was amazed. He couldn't believe what had just happened with the cigarette and then the kiss. Sure, he'd kissed girls before, but a girl never kissed him, he always had to make the first move.   
  
Gabby's heart was pounding the whole time. She'd never met anymore like Chris, no one that knew about the smoke exchange, and especially no guy that would cry in her presence. She knew she had someone special in front of her.   
  
Soon enough, the black night began turning a dark blue followed by a light blue. Gabby had fallen asleep on Chris's back because he was asleep on his stomach. They hadn't exchanged anymore kisses or anything else considered "intimate" and neither of them were disappointed. They enjoyed the time they were together even if they were silent for a while.   
  
Gabby's eyes slowly opened and she looked up. She saw Chris sound asleep and he looked so peaceful, so... happy even. It seemed to Gabby that the only place Chris could really get away was in his sleeping slumber. Suddenly, her eyes were drawn to the window and she saw the light. She jumped up, but before she left, she placed a soft kiss on his cheek. He stirred a bit and cracked a smile before drifting off to dreamland again.


	3. Youre Related To Who?

Later that day, Gabby decided to spend some time with Ace. She wasn't sure if she'd see Chris again and she knew Ace would keep her mind off him. They went to the candy store: Gabby, Ace, and Eyeball, and picked out a few things to munch on after working on the car. They walked out with Gabby on Ace's back and they immediately came to a halt.   
  
"How's it goin ladies?" Ace asked as Gabby crawled off his back. She stood next to Ace and her heart skipped a beat. Standing in front of them was Chris and Gordie. Chris and Gabby locked eyes.   
  
"That your girlfriend, Ace?" Chris asked, never taking his eyes off Gabby.   
  
"It's my sister, punk," Ace answered, rudely.   
  
"Fuck you," Chris stammered before thinking.   
  
"Ooooh," Ace said. "Your brother still hasn't learned any manners Eyeball." And that was when they knew it... Eyeball was Chris's hateful brother and Ace was Gabby's over-protective brother. Their minds went blank and their hearts began beating irregularly. How could this happen? Ace and Eyeball would murder Chris if they ever found out, but they would never find out because there was no way for Gabby and Chris to see each other... they both knew that.   
  
"Come on Gordie, let's go," Chris said to his friend. Chris took one last look at Gabby before turning and walking down the sidewalk.   
  
"You lookin at my sister, Chambers?" Ace called, heading for Chris. Gabby knew he was going to do something bad to Chris, so she had to stop Ace.   
  
"No, Ace," she said, grabbing the shirt he was wearing over his usual black one. "Let's go." Ace looked at her and saw the begging in her eyes. He didn't know why, but he listened to her.   
  
"Aright, let's go," he said, putting his arm around Gabby and walking the opposite way.   
  
"You want a ride, kid?" Eyeball asked, tapping Gabby on the shoulder. She smiled and quickly agreed. She jumped on his back and he started running down the sidewalk.   
  
Chris heard Gabby squealing with joy. He turned around and saw her riding on Eyeball's back. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Why was his brother acting that way? Chris had never seen Eyeball act like a child... never around him, at least. It appeared to him that Gabby was more of a sister to Eyeball than Chris was a brother to him.   
  
"Come on, just forget it," Gordie said, putting his arm around Chris and trying to pull him away, but Chris wouldn't budge. "What's wrong?"   
  
"That's her Gordie," he said, watching Ace, Gabby, and Eyeball disappear around a corner.   
  
"Who?" Chris turned to him.   
  
"That's Gabby... the girl I've been seein." Gordie was very surprised at Chris. He didn't think Chris could mess up so bad. Gordie wondered how Chris could get mixed up with someone related to Ace, but he was too afraid to ask. Chris was mad and Gordie didn't want to upset him even more.   
  
That same afternoon, Gabby was confined to her room. She refused to leave and her mom didn't know why, neither did Ace. She'd locked her door and wouldn't get out of her bed. All she could think about was Chris. Why had he failed to mention that Eyeball Chambers was his brother?! She couldn't decide if she wanted to see him again or not, she didn't know if she'd even be able to because of Ace, but she couldn't shake him from her head.   
  
"Gabby!" she heard Ace yell from outside her door.   
  
"Leave me alone," she said softly.   
  
"You don't wanna play pool with Eyeball and me?" he asked.   
  
"Go away!" she yelled, sitting up.   
  
As night came, Gabby remained in bed. She was too upset to even move. She'd heard Ace come in a little earlier, but still couldn't talk to him. She couldn't talk to her mother either. Her mother hated the entire Chambers family because they were all thieves, but there was nothing she could do about Eyeball... Ace was practically the authority figure.   
  
"Honey, are you ok?" her mother asked from behind the door.   
  
"Go away mom," Gabby said, staring into the darkness.   
  
"Are you sure you don't want anything to eat?"   
  
"Please leave," Gabby begged, ready to burst into tears. Her mother did as her daughter wished and left her alone. Gabby once again laid in silence and darkness. 


	4. Visitor In The Night Pt. 2

After was seemed like hours of absolute silence and only her thoughts hounding her, there was a very faint tap at her second story window. She didn't think anything of it until it happened again and again after that. She climbed out of her more than comfortable bed and walked to her window, opened her curtains then lifted the window. She looked down and saw Chris standing with a handful of rocks, ready to throw.   
"What're you doing here?" she yelled, only she was whispering.   
"Come down," Chris whispered.   
"No, Chris leave," Gabby said.   
"I'm not goin anywhere until you come down," Chris refused. Gabby rolled her eyes and sighed, but did as Chris asked. She tip-toed down the stairs and out the front door. When she saw Chris standing there, it took every ounce of her energy not to hug and kiss him.   
"If Ace sees you here, he'll murder you," she said quietly.   
"I don't care," Chris said.   
"Well I do. I don't wanna see you get hurt."   
"Then you do care about me," Chris said, hopeful.   
"Of course I do."   
"Do you love me?" Gabby stared blankly at him. She was completely surprised by the question. No one had ever asked her that.   
"Chris, we're only 15, we don't know what love is," she replied. Chris could only stare with a million thoughts racing through his mind. He knew the only reason she said that was because she was afraid.   
"Well," he started. "If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me." And he walked away, possibly out of Gabby's life forever. All because of the blood in their veins.   
Gabby headed inside after standing in her front yard for a while. She got halfway up the stairs and realized she couldn't live that way... without Chris. She'd only known him for 2 days, but it seemed like an eternity and she wanted to spend forever with him... forever and a day. She ran back down the stairs and out the door, leaving it to slam behind her. Ace stirred... 


	5. Caught

Gabby ran the whole way to the tree house with thoughts racing in her head. How did Chris know where she lived? Would he even be at the tree house, waiting for her? She knew none of the answers to her questions and the need to know willed her to keep on running. She came to a slow stop a few feet from the tree house. She saw the light, but that's not what stopped her. It was Chris. He was leaning against the ladder on his left shoulder with his arms folded and his left foot crossed over his right.   
  
"I had a feeling you'd be here," she said as she neared.   
  
"I had a feeling you'd come," Chris replied. Gabby smiled as she put her arms around his neck for a long awaited hug and a much desired kiss. They headed up the ladder and into the tree house. Ace headed down the road.   
  
Chris flipped on the radio and one of Gabby's favorite songs came on: "At Last" by Etta James. Chris offered his hand.   
  
"Dance with me," he said.   
  
"Chris you don't dance," Gabby laughed.   
  
"Dance with me," he repeated. Gabby looked at him for a moment and saw his sincerity. She placed her hand in his, stood, and they put their arms around each other. Gabby put her arms tightly around Chris's neck and rested her chin on his shoulder.   
  
"I'm not gonna let them take you away from me," she cried.   
  
"Me either..." Chris whispered. "Me either." They weren't even dancing now, they were only embracing. They just needed to be in each others arms to know that they were alive, to know that, even though they were barely teenagers, they were in love. They'd found something in each other that no one else had: a heart big enough and more than willing to love.   
  
Ace headed through the large meadow in front of the tree house. He saw the same faint light Gabby had, but in it were two figures meshed together. He recognized one as Gabby with her long hair and perfect bangs. He knew the other person was his loathed enemy: Chris Chambers. He was incredibly infuriated, but he wasn't going to do anything about it... not yet.   
  
"At last... the skies above are blue/My heart was wrapped up in clovers/The night I looked at you..." Etta James' soulful voice filled the tree house.   
  
"Chris, can you do me a favor?" Gabby whispered in his ear.   
  
"Anything."   
  
"Tell me you love me." Chris smiled as he softly pushed Gabby away so he could look in her eyes.   
  
"I love you," he said.   
  
"I love you, too." They pressed their foreheads together as they put their hands on each other's face and looked into the set of eyes in front of them. Chris's big, beautiful blue eyes stared in Gabby's deep green eyes. They were oblivious to anything and everything around them. The only thing that mattered was that for the time being, they were free.   
  
The next morning, Gabby was again lying in her bed, trying to get to sleep. She'd just arrived home and she was dead tired.   
  
"Get up!" Ace yelled, pounding on her door.   
  
"I'm up," she said, sitting straight up.   
  
"Time for the championship game of mailbox baseball!" Gabby sighed irritably as she grabbed a black tank top, a pair of jeans, and one of Ace's shirts that she left unbuttoned. She pulled her hair up in a tight pony tail and headed down the stairs where Ace, Eyeball , Charlie, and Billy were waiting.   
  
"Alright guys, let's ride," Ace said with an evil glare that was directed at Gabby. She knew something was wrong, but it never crossed her mind that Ace knew anything about her midnight masquerade with Chris.   
  
They got in the car. Eyeball headed for the driver's seat like he always did when Ace stopped him. He insisted Eyeball ride in the back and Billy take the front seat. Gabby sat in the middle between Eyeball and Charlie, less than happy. On any other day, Gabby would be more than happy to beat her brother at mailbox baseball, but something was missing... the bat. It was nowhere to be found. Gabby knew she was in trouble.   
  
"Hey Ace, where's the bat?" Billy asked. Ace acted as though he didn't hear anything. His eyes were glued to the road as he chewed the toothpick in his mouth.   
  
"Boys I do believe we have a problem," he finally spoke, once they were on a back road.   
  
"What now?" Eyeball asked, laughing stupidly.   
  
"My sister's been sneakin' around with a guy."   
  
"Go Gabby!" Charlie said. Ace nodded at Billy as a signal. Billy turned around threw his empty beer bottle at Charlie.   
  
"The hell was that for?!" Charlie yelled.   
  
"Shut up," Ace demanded with a low voice. Gabby knew she'd been caught. Ace saw a large truck approaching in the far distance.   
  
"Gabrielle Raiyne Myers, are you gonna see Chris Chambers again?" he asked. Gabby remained silent. She was serious when she saw nobody was going to take Chris away from her. Ace swerved into the lane of oncoming traffic.   
  
"I'm gonna ask you one more time!" The car accelerated. "Are you gonna see Chris Chambers again?!" Gabby looked up and saw the truck nearing.   
  
"Ace get in the other lane," she said. He sustained silence as the speedometer now read 75 mph.   
  
"Ace..." Gabby started. Nothing. "Ace..." The truck came closer. "Ace get back in the other lane!"   
  
"Are you gonna see the Chambers kid again?!" Ace yelled.   
  
"You're gonna kill us all!" Gabby screamed.   
  
"Ace, come on," Eyeball said, becoming scared himself.   
  
"I wanna know if my sister is gonna see that faggot again!"   
  
"Answer him Gabby!" Eyeball advised. She continued to remain silent on the subject.   
  
"We're all gonna die in a few seconds Gabby, thanks to you!" Billy screamed.   
  
"Ok, fine, I won't see him again," Gabby surrendered. She knew Ace was just crazy enough to kill everyone.   
  
"You promise?" Ace yelled.   
  
"I promise."   
  
"You swear?"   
  
"Goddamn it Ace!"   
  
"Swear on mine and Eyeball's name that you will not see Chris again." He did that because he knew how much she cared about him and Eyeball.   
  
"No," she refused.   
  
"Ok," Ace shrugged. He pressed the gas pedal as far down as it would go and the passengers jolted back.   
  
"Only a couple feet away Gabby!" Ace warned. Gabby looked forward and saw how close the truck was now; honking the horn wildly.   
  
"Ace!" she yelled. They were going to crash. Gabby screamed and was clinging to Eyeball's waist. He quickly put his arms around her; he thought they were going to crash, too. There was another honk of the horn and a loud crash, but Gabby nor Eyeball felt anything. Gabby slowly opened her eyes as Ace pulled to the side of the road. He put the car in park and turned in his seat to face Gabby.   
  
"Are you gonna see him again?" he yelled, pointing his finger at her. Gabby was now bawling and digging her fingernails into Eyeball's side.   
  
"No," she cried quietly, shaking her head. Ace nodded at his accomplishment and they finally headed home.   
  
When they arrived, Gabby headed straight for her room. She was way too upset to even think. Eyeball followed her because he knew a stunt like Ace had just pulled could really mess a person up. He sat on her bed with her and allowed her to cry on his chest for what seemed like hours. She couldn't stop asking him why Ace had almost killed then, why they wouldn't let her be with Chris.   
  
"He's no good Gabs, he's not good enough for you," Eyeball tried his best to answer.   
  
"He's your brother!" Gabby exclaimed. Eyeball jumped at her loud volume and looked at her tear-stained cheeks and watery eyes.   
  
"I know," he said quietly. "That's how I know he ain't good for you." 


	6. Secret Lives

"I knock," Gabby said as she tapped her knuckles on the tiny wooden table.   
  
"Shit," Teddy sighed, throwing his cards down. Gabby grinned and looked at Chris.   
  
"32... what d'you got?" she asked.   
  
"19," Chris answered irritably.   
  
"Teddy, you are losin bad today," Gabby said happily.   
  
"Cuz you keep cheatin!" he yelled.   
  
"Shut up Teddy," Gordie said. He was too busy with his comic book to play cards and Vern wasn't even there yet.   
  
"Oh Chris," Gabby said. "It's our three week anniversary, so I'll be taking my present now." She reached over and pulled the pack of Winston's out of its cuddled position under Chris's sleeve.   
  
"That's not fair, what'd you get me?" Chris yelled. Gabby smiled as she pulled out an envelope addressed to Chris.   
  
"Don't read that til you're alone," she ordered.   
  
"Gotcha," Chris agreed, pointing at her.   
  
"Since we're giving gifts, I got somethin for all you guys," Gabby said, reaching in the bag she'd brought.   
  
"Gordie," she started. She pulled out a Yankee cap and handed it to him.   
  
"Where'd you get this?" he asked in awe.   
  
"Off Eyeball's dresser. He's not gonna miss it." He put it on and thanked Gabby ever so much for his brother's hat.   
  
"Teddy," she started, reaching in her bag again. She handed him a necklace with dog tags on it because he'd previously lost the other one.   
  
"This is really cool, thanks Gabby," he said.   
  
"And if Vern would get here..." There was a knock at the entrance door below their feet. Gabby smiled. "Right on time."   
  
"Vern!" Gordie called, only making sure it was him.   
  
"Open up!" Vern yelled. They laughed before Chris moved the table and opened the door. Vern crawled up the ladder and sat in his usual seat, which was different since Gabby started spending her time with them.   
  
"Here ya go Vern," Gabby said, pulling out a large jar filled with pennies. Vern's eyes brightened as he slowly took it into his hands.   
  
"Where did you find this?" he asked, barely able to speak. Gabby smiled.   
  
"Under Ace's bed. I guess Billy or Charlie one found it and had no intentions of giving it back."   
  
"Those assholes," Vern said. The others laughed and Gabby looked at Chris. Their eyes locked and it was as if no one else was in the tree house. It was only them.   
Meanwhile, Ace and Eyeball were out in the field in their backyard, just relaxing. Ace was more than irritated with Gabby's attitude toward him and he was also upset at her and Eyeball's relationship. They were more brother-and-sister than he and Gabby were and he didn't like it. Gabby was the only person he cared about in the entire world and she had practically disowned him. Suddenly, he realized he hadn't seen Gabby all day...   
  
"Eyeball, where's Gabby?" he asked. Eyeball remained silent for a while.   
  
"I dunno, haven't seen her," he said. Ace sat up and thought about it.   
  
"I'm gonna kill her," he said, knowing she was with Chris, but he didn't know where. "I'm gonna fuckin kill her." He got up and jogged to the house.   
  
"Where you goin?" Eyeball yelled. Ace didn't answer as he headed in the house then to his car and sped off. He drove all around Castle Rock looking for Gabby when her whereabouts finally hit him... the tree house. He flew toward it and when he got there, he jumped out the car and ran to the ladder climbing up. He knocked heavily on the door. Everyone inside jumped.   
  
"Who is it?!" Chris yelled. Ace was enraged and he wasn't going to take Chris's smartass attitude. He busted the door open, saw Gabby and the rest of the guys and his fury finally boiled over.   
  
"You're dead you little cocksmoker," he said, pointing at Chris.   
  
He stepped up a little higher to grab Chris's shirt and yanked him down through the entranceway and let him fall to the ground, hard. He dropped down, but landed on his feet, unlike Chris. Ace crawled on top of him and began punching him like Chris was his age and he could take a few blows to the head, but he couldn't. After the first iron punch, Chris was knocked out.   
  
Gabby hurried down the ladder and stood in awe, watching Ace beat the love of her life to death. She jumped on his back in an attempt to pull Ace off, but he twisted his back and threw her off instead. She hit the ground hard and sat up slowly, holding her head. By this time, Teddy, Vern, and Gordie had jumped down and were watching; they were too afraid to fight Ace.   
  
"Ace, stop," she whispered, she couldn't yell. Her head weighed a thousand pounds and she could barely see straight. When her vision finally did clear, she saw Eyeball running toward Ace. He grabbed Ace under his arms and yanked him off. Ace fought hard, but he was tired from all his fighting and wasn't able to overpower Eyeball.   
  
As Eyeball carried Ace away, he looked at Gabby and pointed at her. "You're next!" he yelled, out of breath. Gabby ignored him as she slowly crawled to Chris's aid.   
  
"Chris?" she asked, placing her hand on his already bruised face. There was blood trickling down from his lip and he had bruises all over his face.   
  
"We gotta get him outta here, Ace might come back," she said, looking at the other guys. "Gordie?" she asked.   
  
"My parents hate him," he said sadly, shaking his head. Gabby looked at Teddy.   
  
"Teddy?"   
  
"My dad'll kill us all," he said.   
  
"Vern?"   
  
"I..."   
  
"Vern!" Gabby yelled impatiently.   
  
"Ok, fine." It was tough, but all four of them carried Chris down the road to Vern's house, a place they knew Ace wouldn't find them... he didn't know where Vern lived. A few hours passed before Chris awoke on his couch. He looked up, letting his vision clear and saw Gabby's face come into focus.   
  
"About time you woke up," she said smiling.   
  
"Yeah," Chris said, trying to sit up. "I'm glad it's you I see instead of Ace... where am I?"   
  
"Vern's house." He sat up and thought about things for a minute.   
  
"What did I do to him?" he asked, looking at Gabby.   
  
"I dunno, but I can guarantee it'll never happen again," she said.   
  
"How do you know?" Gabby paused before answering.   
  
"I've got an idea." 


	7. Insanity

"Maybe you should be related to Teddy, you're both crazy," Vern said. Gabby rolled her eyes and looked at Vern.   
  
"It may be crazy, but what choice do we have?" she asked.   
  
"But telling everyone Chris's dead... who's gonna believe that?" Vern continued to whine.   
  
"Everyone," Gordie piped up. He'd been quiet the whole time Gabby told her idea because he was contemplating whether or not it would work. By his calculations, it would.   
  
"Once word gets out that Chris was beaten up so badly that it killed him, they'll believe it because they have no choice.," he explained.   
  
"Who's gonna care anyway?" Chris asked, looking at the floor. Gabby looked at him. As much as she didn't want to believe that, she had to. No one would really care if Chris died or not.   
  
"What about Eyeball?" Vern asked. Gabby turned to him quickly. She'd completely forgotten about Chris's brother, the number one person they had to worry about.   
  
"Oh that's wonderful!" Chris exclaimed. "I'm sure he'll support the idea." Gabby looked at Chris and narrowed her eyes.   
  
"Let me worry about Eyeball," she said. Chris looked at her and saw in her eyes that she had another plan.   
  
"What're you gonna do?" he asked. She smiled.   
  
"My little secret," she said, brushing her finger under his chin. Chris cracked a smile, but he was far from happy. He didn't think Gabby could pull off something this big.   
  
Gabby left and headed down the road to her house. She was afraid to go home, afraid to face Ace, afraid of what he would do to her. He did say she was next and she didn't want to find out what he meant. When she got home, she saw Eyeball sitting on the porch.   
  
"Hey," she said quietly. He looked at her and smiled the saddest smile she'd ever seen on his face. "Where's Ace?" she asked. Eyeball chuckled lightly.   
  
"Hospital," he said.   
  
"Why?"   
  
"He broke a few fingers on Chris." Gabby swallowed hard as she sat next to him.   
  
"Eyeball," she breathed. She looked at him just as he turned to look at her. "Ace could've killed Chris today." Eyeball looked down and thought about it for a minute.   
  
"I know," he said. Despite how tough he acted around Chris and the gang and when he laughed whenever Ace verbally abused Chris, he loved Chris. He was Eyeball's brother first and Ace was only a friend.   
  
"If you were my brother, which you practically are," she started, nudging him with her shoulder causing him to smile. "What would do about me and Chris?"   
  
"I don't know," he answered quickly. He didn't want to lose his tough guy image by telling her he wouldn't have acted the way Ace did.   
  
"Ok, look," Gabby started, turning her whole body toward Eyeball. "I need a favor... a big one." He nodded slowly. "I wanna be with Chris," she said. Eyeball looked at her.   
  
"I know you do. I don't know why, but I know you do," he said.   
  
"I love him Eyeball." Eyeball closed his eyes and wished Gabby had never met Chris.   
  
"What's the favor?" he asked, not wanting to hear anything else.   
  
"I need..." she started. "I need you to swear on my life that you don't know anything."   
  
"About what?"   
  
"About Chris being alive." Eyeball curled his brow and looked at her.   
  
"What are you talkin about?" Gabby took a deep breath and prepared herself for the long explanation.   
  
"The... only way we can be together is if people believed that... Chris is... dead," she said slowly.   
  
"English Gabby," Eyeball demanded.   
  
"I'm gonna tell everyone Chris is dead," she blurted out. Eyeball quickly looked at her.   
  
"What?!" he exclaimed.   
  
"Listen, you and I both know people don't care one way or another if he's dead," she said, trying her best to sound reasonable.   
  
"I care!" Eyeball finally revealed.   
  
"Then you won't tell anybody," Gabby said, on the verge of tears.   
  
"Tell anybody what?"   
  
"That he's alive, are you listening to me?!" she yelled.   
  
"Yeah, but I'm having a real hard time with this, ok?" he said. He got up and started down the sidewalk.   
  
"Eyeball please?!" Gabby cried, falling off the porch and onto her knees on the hard cement. Eyeball stopped, but didn't turn around. He could not believe what Gabby was asking him. He would've done anything to help Gabby in any way, but this was asking a lot. He slowly turned around and looked at her.   
  
"You know I love you Gabby," he said.   
  
"That's why you're gonna help me," she said.   
  
"You're not gonna tell people Ace killed him?"   
  
"No," she shook her head. Eyeball stood for a moment, looking around, thinking.   
"I don't believe this," he whispered to himself. He finally returned his gaze to Gabby. "Aright, I'm in," he said quickly. Gabby let out a deep breath and cracked a smile.   
  
"Thank you," she said quietly as he walked away. She didn't know how she was going to pull this off, but she had think of something. She knew there was no way she'd be able to live without Chris and now that she had Eyeball on her side, maybe she had a chance. And she also knew that she had gone completely insane. 


	8. Star Cross'd Lovers Come To An End

"Ok, I don't know how long I can do this," Gabby said as she climbed into the tree house. Chris looked at her wide-eyed, as did Vern, Teddy, and Gordie.  
  
"Get outta here guys," Chris ordered. They agreed and climbed down the ladder. "What's goin on?" Chris asked.  
  
"I don't know if I can do this anymore," Gabby confessed.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"How long do you think we can keep this a secret from your parents? My parents?" she asked. Chris looked her in the eyes and saw the truth. He thought about it. How long would they be able to pull this off?  
  
"Well what do you wanna do about it? You wanna openly state that I am alive and have Ace murder me in my sleep?!" Chris exclaimed.  
  
"No, that's not what I want," Gabby said sadly.  
  
"Then please explain to me what the hell you want to happen." Gabby looked at Chris. He'd never yelled at her before and she did not like it.  
  
"Do you love me?" she asked. Chris rolled his eyes.  
  
"Of course I do," he answered. The fact was, he loved Gabby more than anything on the planet and he would stop at nothing to keep them together. He'd walk through fire for her; die just to make her happy... anything it took.  
  
"And you'd do anything for us," she said.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Prove it."  
  
"What do you mean?" Chris asked.  
  
"The only way we'll ever truly be together is in another world."  
  
"I'm sorry, but I don't understand a word you're saying," Chris said. Gabby looked up and locked eyes with Chris's beautiful blues.  
  
"Death, Chris," she said. He thought she was crazy at first, but then... it all made sense to him. Death made sense. They would never be together in the world they lived in, but in another... that was a whole other story.  
  
"Are you serious about this?" he asked.  
  
"We don't have much choice," Gabby said. Chris agreed and they left the tree house. They headed down the road together, not caring who saw them as long as it wasn't Ace.  
  
All the while they were both wondering how it was going to be done. They couldn't use a gun because they didn't know where to get another one beside the one Chris's dad had. They really had no other options, but they refused to shoot each other... it was no going to happen. Before realizing it, they arrived at Gabby's house and stood in front of her closed garage.  
  
"This is kinda a stupid question, but..." Chris started.  
  
"I've got it covered," Gabby interrupted, trying her best to smile. She turned and lifted the garage door to reveal Ace's, now working, black Buick.  
  
"Does it work?" Chris chuckled. Gabby smirked.  
  
"We just fixed it," she answered. They looked at the car, Gabby knowing just what to do, and Chris having no idea what she was thinking. He stared and thought about it... suddenly it hit him. Carbon monoxide. He knew a few couples that had died that way, so he knew it worked. He looked at Gabby.  
  
"Are you sure you wanna do this?" he asked. Gabby returned the gaze and smiled slightly.  
  
"I'm sure," she answered softly. They walked in and shut the garage door including all the windows so the carbon monoxide wouldn't leak out. They got in the car and Gabby started it. They looked at each other as they settled in the back seat.  
  
"We'll finally be free," Gabby said. Chris smiled and hugged her.  
  
"Can't wait," he whispered in her ear. They laid down, Gabby lying on Chris's chest and thought about everything they'd been through. Then they thought about what was to come. What this going to hurt? Would one of them go first? What if it didn't work at all, what would happen to them? They laid in silence for about a half an hour until Gabby just needed to hear the sound of Chris's voice.  
  
"Chris," she said.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Is it gonna hurt?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know," Chris answered, shaking his head. That was the same question that had been haunting him for the passed thirty minutes.  
  
"I love you," Gabby said. That always made Chris smile, even at that moment.  
  
"I love you too." They again fell into a horrible silence, but they couldn't think of anything to say. It was an awkward moment to strike up a conversation.   
Suddenly, it became too much for Gabby... she could no longer breathe. She began coughing violently and sat up causing Chris to rise as well.  
  
"What is it?" he asked, putting his hands on her face.  
  
"I... I... can't breathe," she coughed. Chris's eyes began to water uncontrollably.  
  
"Let go," he cried. Gabby tried to her put her hands on Chris's face, it took a few tries because her arms were weak and heavy, but she finally got them there.  
  
"I'm not leaving you," she said, her voice hoarse and barely audible.  
  
"I'm right behind you," he said, coughing.  
  
"I love you Chris," she said.  
  
"I love you Gabby."  
  
"I'll see you soon."  
  
"Not if I see you first," Chris said, smiling. She smiled and a single tear fell from her eye as her heart slowly stopped beating and she fell lifelessly into Chris's arms. He hugged her body close to his and laid his head on the top of hers.  
  
"This wasn't the way it was supposed to be," he cried hysterically. He ran his fingers through her long hair and kissed her forehead before his coughing fit began. As his heart beat slowed, he laid down again, with Gabby in her same position and fought nothing. He wanted to go as soon as possible. It finally happened... Chris fell asleep and he never woke up.  
  
"Gabs!" Ace yelled as he entered the house. He'd bought her some candy to apologize for his behavior toward her, but not to apologize for his behavior toward Chris. He walked through the whole house and she was nowhere to be found. As he passed the garage door he heard his car running. He burst the door open and saw the tarp over his car and two folded pieces of paper taped to it. He ripped one off, opened it, and read it.  
  
Ace,  
You don't know what I did yet, but you will. I'm not writing this to say I'm sorry, I'm writing this so you know that I do love you. I know everything that you did you did because you were my brother and I respect that, but you should've left me and Chris alone. Well, I have got to go. I'll see you... some time.  
  
Love you big bro,  
Gabrielle Raiyne Myers.  
  
Ace was confused. He looked at the second note that was addressed to Eyeball. He called him in the garage and handed him the note, instructing him to read it out loud.  
  
Dear Eyeball,  
Thanks for always being there and making me feel like your sister. You were a great "brother" and I love you. Don't blame yourself.  
  
Love you,  
Gabs  
  
P.S. Remove the tarp from the car.  
  
Eyeball did as the letter said and he and Ace threw the tarp to the ground. They saw Chris and Gabby lying together and Ace's eyes widened. He didn't know what to think, but he did the first thing that came to mind. He opened the door and grabbed Gabby, but she didn't move... neither did Chris. He stared breathing erratically and he let go of Gabby, letting her fall back on Chris.  
  
"Oh my God," he said, completely dumbfounded.  
  
"What?" Eyeball asked, standing behind Ace.  
  
"They're dead," Ace said.  
  
"Oh my..." Eyeball started. He couldn't even finish his sentence before bursting into tears. Ace stared at Chris... he just knew everything was Chris's idea. Chris killed his baby sister. 


End file.
